Jun 17 Rally

This is my third visit to Rally, and the first time it has been actually busy when I arrived--only one table free, and lots of people working and chatting at the tables inside and out. It’s nice to see that people are discovering Rally, because it’s a great new spot. Clean and bright, I love the decor, which is peach and a mint green, with black and grey accents. It feels warmer than some of the more industrial spots like Elixr and Rival, and lots of windows give it a nice blanket of sunshine. The light fixtures are the most pretentious thing about this pot, and they are a bit bizarre, but not bad (one day I will do a photo post of all the weird light fixtures in Philly coffee shops). I am already extremely caffeinated when I arrive, so this time I opt for an iced chai (pro tip: when ordering an iced drink always ask for very light on the ice). The chai here is only very lightly sweetened which is perfect--nothing syrupy or fake here, and you can actually taste the pepper. Excellent.

Rally has an interesting model. In addition to being a coffee shop it’s also a “deconstructed marketing agency” which you can hire online and meet with at the shop. And it’s an event space that you can rent for special events. I currently have no reason to do so, but I would totally book Rally for an event--the space is really beautiful, and it feels like a good place for mixing and drinking. You can also book a table at Rally for a meeting. If you’re cool with having a meeting in a public place, but want to be sure you’ll have room for everyone to sit down, Rally will help you out.

As a regular coffee shop goer, I can’t speak to the marketing or event space aspect much, but I’m definitely a fan of the drinks and the ambience. Today I could have walked a few blocks to OCF or Ultimo, and I decided to hop on my bike and ride over a mile to Rally. Definitely worth the trip.

What I worry about at Rally: Last time I came here I was harassed as I rode my bike north on 7th St, and it got so bad that I arrived in tears. Part of why I came back was to prove to myself I could bounce back from the nasty names and honking I experienced earlier this week. This time the ride went better, but I was on edge the whole time I was on 7th St, and I’m getting worried about how bad the harassment is in South Philly. It feels genuinely scary and threatening. I’ve also now had two fostering-related coffee dates at Rally, so coming here makes me think a lot about how hard it is to encourage people to be foster parents when DHS is operating with a fucking provisional license, whatever the fuck that even means.